More overblown mountaintop removal claims in the House of Representatives

We know that mountaintop removal kills mining jobs. But naturally that didn’t stop the House Government Reform Committee and its anti-regulation chair, Darrell Issa, from making the claim in a recent report that the EPA's lawful and appropriate regulation of mining pollution is "creating massive uncertainty in the coal mining industry, putting jobs in Appalachia at risk, and threatening our domestic energy security in the process."

The Committee’s report was issued in conjunction with today’s hearing on "How Obama's Green Energy Agenda is Killing Jobs.” And it’s a pity that Joe Lovett of Appalachian Mountain Advocates wasn’t at that hearing to set them straight.  In July, Lovett delivered testimony in a subcommittee hearing that made a few important points.

• The coal industry’s efforts to cut labor costs through more mechanized techniques like mountaintop removal have led to a long-term loss of mining jobs, even as coal production has increased: “In 1948, there were 125,669 coal-mining jobs in West Virginia and 168.589,033 tons of coal mined.  In 1978 there were still 62,982 coal mining jobs in West Virginia with only 84,696,048 tons mined.  By 2010, however, only 20,452 of these jobs remained despite the fact that coal production had again risen to 144,017,758 tons mined.”
• Mountaintop removal does not create jobs: “One of the most common arguments in favor of mountaintop removal mining is that it creates much-needed jobs in economically depressed areas.  However a recently published paper by Woods and Gordon, Mountaintop removal and Job Creation: Exploring the Relationship Using Spatial Regression, found no evidence supporting the suggestion that mountaintop removal contributes positively to nearby communities’ employment.  In fact, the authors concluded that neither a rise nor decline in employment was found near mountaintop removal mines.”
• “Mountaintop removal coal mining costs state budgets more than it generates.  Recent studies concluded that coal mining costs Kentucky and West Virginia taxpayers more than it brings into the state – a net loss of more than $100 million annually in Kentucky.  These costs include: increased road expenditures, operating mining-specific health and safety systems, supporting training and research and development for the industry, and various tax-breaks and subsidies.  This estimate does not include healthcare costs, loss of home values, and the need for water treatment.”

Appalachian residents want strong enforcement of clean water protections, and the majority do not approve of mountaintop removal, according to poll results released just a few weeks ago. So the endless repetition of the faulty, pro-polluter "jobs vs. environment" argument is not having its intended effect. But it still insults our intelligence. 

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